The Morning After
by JamieCOTC
Summary: The morning after Liara T'Soni's visit to the Normandy, UJ Shepard must deal with the trials of ship wide gossip. Warning: Spoilers for Lair of the Shadow Broker. Commander Shepard and Mass Effect are properties of BioWare and EA.
1. Chapter 1

Shepard wrapped her arms around Liara, pulling her close, their lips parted, nearly touching. She whispered. "I know we've never said it to each other, Liara, but …"

"Alarm."

"Alarm?"

"Your alarm clock is ringing, Shepard."

Shepard groaned. A faint ringing stung her ears as she struggled to remain in a dream of the night before.

"What the hell? Did I oversleep?" Shepard bolted out of the bed and raced to the shower.  
"Yes, Commander. You overslept 3 minutes and 47.6 seconds. Would you like me to adjust the volume of your holoclock?"

"EDI … no, I'm fine."

"How are you feeling this morning, Commander?" EDI asked.

Shepard stopped in her tracks. She seemed puzzled. "I thought that was Kelly's department? Why do you ask?"

"You seemed to have slept better last night than any other night since you took command." EDI responded.

Shepard darted into shower. "You monitor my sleep?"

"I monitor the sleeping patterns of every member of the crew. It is a hobby of mine." There was a slight pause. "That was a joke."

"I would never have guessed." Shepard rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the shower to grab a towel.

"Cerberus recommends seven hours of sleep per every 24 hours to maintain optimum performance. Your sleep patterns are … erratic at best. Rarely do you sleep more than four hours a night and even then, whether conscious or not, you wake frequently. This is most likely due to vivid dreams, the Prothean vision and stress."

Shepard dressed in her Alliance fatigues and then hastily applied her lipstick. "I wish Miranda had just given me a makeup upgrade so I didn't have to put all this crap on every morning. Of course, knowing her, I would have come out looking like a two credit whore." Shepard gave herself a disapproving look in the mirror as she brushed through her hair. "What's on the agenda today, EDI?"

"The Illusive Man wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

Shepard looked up. Her brow crinkled. "You're kidding me, right? I thought I told that coc - I thought I told him we were done."

"Nevertheless, he wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

"I'll think about it." Shepard headed for the door.

"Shepard, you did not answer my previous question. How do you feel this morning?" EDI seemed genuinely curious.

Shepard looked back into the room. She went over to the night stand and held the tags Liara had given her. She smiled softly. "I feel … good, EDI. Thanks for asking."


	2. Chapter 2

As Shepard stepped off the elevator to the crew quarters, Kasumi caught her attention. The hooded thief waved Shepard to the Port lounge. Her face was all smiles. "Get over here!" Kasumi said in a hurried yet hushed tone. "Get in here right now!"

Shepard sighed. She knew what was going on and for now decided to play along. Shepard leaned against the port door.

"What is it, Kasumi?"

Kasumi gave Shepard a knowing glance. "So?"

"So … what?" replied Shepard with a sly grin.

Kasumi pulled Shepard all the way into the lounge. "Get in here and tell me everything about last night."

Shepard winced a bit. "That's a little personal, don't you think?"

Kasumi placed her hands on her hips and took a defiant stance. "You can't fool me, Shep. You're glowing more than the mass effect core, and you're bursting to tell someone. Now, give."

Shepard's expression softened as she sat down on the sofa opposite Kasumi. "Okay, okay. You win." Shepard paused, her head hung down just slightly. "It was … good."

Kasumi frowned. "Good? Just good?"

"Okay, it was better than good. It was …" Shepard began to choke up just ever so slightly. "I owe her everything, Kasumi, and I'm not just talking about my life."

Kasumi motioned for Shepard to stop. "If you say one more word, I'm going to need a box of tissues. You stay right here while I go to the ladies room."

Shepard stood up and started for the exit. "Never mind, that's all you're getting out of me. Now, if you don't mind, I have a ship to run."

"I'm glad you got her back, Shep. You gave Keji back to me. I'm glad you got a second chance too."

Shepard raised her fist to her forehead and groaned. "I'm sorry, Kasumi. I wasn't thinking."

Kasumi smiled brightly. "No worries, Commander. No worries."


	3. Chapter 3

Thane jogged by as Shepard turned the corner to the mess. "Good morning, Commander. I heard you had a delightful reunion with an old friend last night." Thane continued jogging in place as he boarded the elevator. "We will talk later."

"I - Okay." Shepard was both puzzled and annoyed. Did everyone know that she and Liara had been together the night before?

"Good morning, Commander. I trust you slept well last night." Dr. Chakwas held up her coffee cup in a mock toast.

Shepard sighed. "Does everyone know?"

Dr. Chakwas smiled. "Privacy is one of the casualties of war, Commander. You know that."

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I can hope people are at least mature about it."

Dr. Chakwas took a sip of coffee. "You can hope."

Shepard groaned.

"We'll talk later Commander."

Before she could walk away, Shepard reached for the doctor's arm. "Dr. Chakwas, about Thane …"

"I'm sorry Commander. There's nothing I can do."

Shepard hesitated for a moment. She wanted to tell the doctor about the Shadow Broker's resources, that maybe, just maybe she'd find a lead with Liara's help. "Thanks for trying." Shepard let the return to sickbay.

"Good morning, Commander!" Mess Sergeant Gardener exclaimed with more enthusiasm than normal.

"Good morning, Sergeant. Just coffee for me, thanks."

The Sergeant plopped a large blueberry muffin in from of the Commander. She picked it up and inhaled its aroma. "Mmmm. Where did you get this, Sergeant? Cerberus didn't –"

"We just found boxes of muffins, fruit, eggs, steaks, and other staples in the cargo hold this morning. It came along with this envelope addressed to you." Gardner handed Shepard the mysterious envelope.

"And you just decided to just serve this … food to the crew?"

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Commander, uh – What I mean to say is we tested it first thing. All seems legit."

Shepard read the message.

* * *

Shepard, 

While searching through the Shadow Broker's inventory, I discovered a freighter stock piled with more food and staples than you can imagine. I think he was hording for himself and his mercs just in case he found a way out. The bulk of the food, etc will be shipped to Horizon to help them rebuild, but I thought perhaps you, and your crew deserved a respite from Cerberus provisions. Take care.

Love,

Liara

* * *

Shepard folded the note and stuffed it in her pocket. She smiled. "Okay, Sergeant, I'll take coffee and a muffin. Thanks."


End file.
